Confident that, He who began a good work...

Philippians 1:1-11 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, ⁵ in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.     How much better and stronger would the church be if we and today’s leaders truly shared with Paul, believing in and living out this declaration, if we treated each person with patience, knowing that God was still working to perfect them?  In Philippians 3:12-16 Paul says:    Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;  however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.       If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize, as Paul does, that being perfected in Christ is something that we continue in as long as we are here. It not something we attain yet it should be our goal, what we continue to press toward.

In Matthew 7:1-3, Jesus says:   “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”      If we recognize that we ourselves are a work in progress, why don’t we treat others with that same measure of grace?   Paul says he is confident that He who began the work of reconciliation and restoration, will complete it. The truth is, God sees us as already perfected in Christ. He sees us through the finished work of the cross, not according to our own works. If we are to see as God sees, then we too should see the perfected Christ in others and ourselves. In Luke 23:39-43, when Jesus was on the cross, we see an example of how God sees us as perfected in Christ, when we repent in our hearts, even when our lives have not changed.

 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”  But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”  And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”     The thief on the cross, though he never had an opportunity to change his life, was seen as perfected in Christ. That’s how God sees everyone who believes Jesus is Lord and Savior.

Knowing, believing, having confidence that God will complete the work of restoration in their lives, Paul joins God in that work, calling the believers forth, encouraging and exhorting them. He says:   For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;  having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.     We too, rather than criticizing and condemning believers should encourage them. It’s not that we accept, tolerate or condone sin and unrighteousness in their lives, but rather, knowing that through the finished work of the cross, God sees them as perfected in Christ, we call them to press on, we encourage them and pray for them.

Look again at what Paul says:   how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,  so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;  having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.     If we, like Paul, will love others, our fellow believers, with the affection of Christ Jesus, we will pray for them, encourage them, that their love may abound in real knowledge and discernment. Real knowledge and discernment comes from the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says:   the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control.     As we relate to others in the Spirit, the Spirit Himself can give them knowledge and discernment. Both we and they can be filled with the fruit of righteousness, the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,  always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,  in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.  For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. May we all press on together,   having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.     Amen